The Horizon Europe supported project aims to leverage AI and advanced digital tools to enable stakeholders to manage their PV assets more effectively and to significantly expand their portfolios.
Targets include a 4.7% improvement in system performance and a 32% reduction in operational costs.
“By digitalising operations, we can manage vast volumes of data generated by PV plants, develop 100% automated failure detection solutions and diagnose root causes of issues,” explains Luis Narvarte, Director of the Photovoltaic Systems Research Group in the Institute of Solar Energy at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and PVOP project coordinator.
“This approach will significantly enhance plant performance while reducing operational and maintenance costs.”
The PVOP project, which launched in May 2024 and runs for three years, is introducing eight advanced technical solutions to optimise PV systems.
Solutions 1 and 2 are a sensorisation toolkit aimed to ensure quality operational data that enables AI to be applied to detect degradation and failures with precision and smart tracking control to enhance solar tracker performance on terrains of arbitrary orientation and slope and in extreme weather.
Solution 3 integrates sensor and image data for resource optimisation, while solution 4 uses autonomous aerial inspections with high resolution imaging to streamline reporting and improve the energy yield.
Solution 5 is focussed in predictive asset management software to maximise system performance and reduce the operations and maintenance effort. Solutions 6 -8 are tools for grid integration to forecast energy yield, predict electricity market trends and optimise battery-equipped PV plant control for energy trading.
The PVOP project’s AI-enabled solutions drawing on operational data from over 11GW of solar PV installations are expected to revolutionise the way these plants are operated, with features such as automated failure detection and root cause diagnostics.
Such advancements are considered critical for handling the growing complexity of large-scale PV installations, ensuring owners can efficiently respond to alarms and optimise their assets.
With this the project is aimed to lay the foundation for a fully digitalised PV ecosystem that can sustain Europe’s energy transition. This project represents a significant stride toward a cleaner, more resilient energy future.
The project budget is €6 million ($6.3 million), of which the Horizon Europe contribution is €4.86 million.
